Suction cleaner dust chamber having a movable wall therefor



5mm. 38, W49 c. H. SPARKLKN fi fi SUCTION CLEANER DUST CHAMBER HAVING A MOVABLE WALL THEREFOR Filed Nov. 30, 1944 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Jam. 38, @1949. c. H. SPARKLIN 2,459,194

SUCTION CLEANER DUST CHAMBER HAVING A MOVABLE WALL THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV." 30, 1944 Jan. 18, 1%49. c. H. SPARKLIN SUCTION CLEANER DUST CHAMBER HAVING A MOVABLE WALL THEREFOR 3 SheetsSheet 3 Filed Nov. 30, 19%

Patented Jan. 18,

v UNITED S'I'ATES PATENT OFFICE I 'zssam W A MOVABLE WALL runner chum. n. spin-um,

mo, 11]., alslgnor to Birtman Electric Company, a corporation oi Illinois Application November 30, 1944, Serial No. 565,871

i This invention relates to an improved suction" cleaner combining the most desirable features of both the tank type cleaner and the door type cleaner, and relates particularly, to such an improved cleaner wherein there is provided an eas- T ily accessible dust collection chamber.

' suction producing portion. Thus the cleaner has the compact structure of the tank type cleaner yet avoids the long hose and wand of the ordinary tank type cleaner. It can be pushed around the floor like the ordinary bag type cleaner. A

very important advantage is the provision of a side wall in the dust chamber through which dust can be removed. This wall is normally locked in closed air-tight position between the vacuum cre-.

ating portion and the nozzle portion-of the cleaner when the nozzle is arranged horizontally for cleaning but hangs free in vertical position when the nozzle portion is turned about its hinge; thereby permitting the collected dust to fall from the chamber.

This invention will be described in detail as set out in the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure l is a plan view of 'a vacuum cleaner; Fig'. 2 is a vertical sec tion taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cleaner with the nozzle portion shown, by means of dotted lines, in raised position; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the cleaner.

The vacuum cleaner shown in the drawings includes a handle it attached to a vacuum produc ing portion i i which is in turn attached, by means of hinges ii, to the nozzle portion it of the cleaner. There are provided wheels it on the bottom of the cleaner for pushing it along the floor. The usual motor (not shown) and fan 23 in the vacuum producing portion of the cleaner are employed to cause air flow through the cleaner.

In the vacuum cleaner there is provided a yoke 55 at the rear of the cleaner tor attaching the handle Ill. The nozzle portion I3, which is attached to the vacuum producing portion H by means of hinges l2 and normally fits tightly against the vacuum portion, includes a front opening l6 adapted to rest on the rug or other article to be cleaned. This opening leads to a dust chamber I! immediately above which is lo- 2 Claims. (01. 15-452) cated a removable dust screen l8 for entrapping dust from the air stream. The rearwall I! of the dust chamber ii is mounted on the rest of the nozzle structure by means of hinges 20 and is normally held between the vacuum producing and nozzle portions oi the cleaner by means of a raised ridge 2| in the bottom of the dust chamber 8?. When the two portions of the cleaner are locked together, the hinged wall I9 is held in air-tight contact between these portions. The locking means may be of any type desired and, as shown, comprises a small hook so on each side of the nozzle portion i3 adjacent the bottom thereof and engaging a pin 3! on the vacuum producing portion i 1.

When the vacuum cleaner is in operation air is drawn through the front opening I6, as shown by the arrows of Fig. '2, through the removable screen I! and through the air passage 22 above the screen. While the air is going through the screen dust carried by this air is trapped on the screen and falls to the chamber l1 below. As I soon as sufficient dust has been gathered in the chamber the nozzle portion I3 is turned to raised position about its hinges l2, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. This releases the hinged rear wall 89 of the dust chamber which hangs freely in vertical position and permits the dust to fall out of the chamber into a waiting receptacle. When the dust has been thusiy emptied the cleaner portions are once more locked together and the cleaner is again ready for operation.

Having described my invention in considerable detail as exemplified by one embodiment of the same, it is my intention that the iuventionbe not limited by these details, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed /broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in "the claims.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a vacuum creating portion, a nozzle portion arranged forwardly' of the vacuum creating portion and hingedly attached thereto at a point on the upper part of the nozzle portion, and an air passageway between the vacuum creating portion and the nozzle portion, said nozzle portion comprising a housing, a dust screen within said housing and across U said passageway, a dust chamber forming a part of said nozzle portion and located adjacent said screen, a wall hinged at its top to the nozzle portion and extending between the screen and the bottom of the dust chamber and forming a side of said chamber through which dust can be removed-from said chamber, and readily-releasable'locking means for normally locking said well ing turnable about their connecting hinge to permit pivoting of the nozzle portion upwardly to remove dust from the dust chamber.

2. In a suction cleaner a normally substantially horizontal nozzle portion, a vacuum creating portion, said nozzle portion being hingedly attached at its upper rear edge to said vacuum creating portion, an air passageway extending between the nozzle portion and the vacuum creating portion, said nozzle portion including a dust screen p0- sitioned across the air passageway, a chamber beneath said screen forming a part of saldnozzle portion for collecting dust falling by gravity from said screen, and a substantially vertical wall hinged at its top to the nozzle portion and Iorming a part of said chamber extending from the screen to the bottom of the chamber and normally clamped between the two portions of the cleaner to form an air-tight seal, said nozzle and vacuum creating portions being turnable about their coil n'ecting hinge to permit pivoting oi the nozzle portion upwardly to remove dust from the dust chambe CHARLES H. SPARKLIN.

aarnanncas mm The following references are of record in the 0 me of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 918,896 Noe Apr. 20, 1909 1,059,645 a St. Anthony Apr. 22, 1913 1,185,354 Skinner May 30, 1916 1,283,298 Qllist Oct. 29, 1918 1,577,070 Orr Mar. 16, 1926 1,656,031 Aalborg ..a Jan. 10, 1928 1,829,582 Carson Oct. 27, 1931 1,949,052 Kirby Feb. 27, 1934 2,237,830 Jerome Apr, 8, 1941 

